Wednesday, April 14, 2010

1. You don't have to be a Grannie to have hemorrhoids2. Boobs do more than bounce3. A hot date can happen at Chic-Fil-A4. Going to bed by 9pm is AWESOME5. Disney cartoons have cuss words in them6. Mom was right, what goes around comes around7. Left-overs are a delicious dinner offering8. Kids won't walk into Kindergarten with a diaper, but they may wear one until the night before9. When they are quiet something is wrong, messy & very wrong...

on that note I gotta run. my quiet pay-backer is in need of some assistance...

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

So, David cries out "where can I hide from your presence?" We can all imagine making our way up, up and not away from God's presence, or down , down and, again, not away from his presence. But what about in? What about in our depression, anger, grief, loneliness, fear, guilt and so on? Are we hidden from his presence there?It seems easier to imagine a child playing hide & seek on the mountain tops, or in a cave and relate that to the foolishness of thinking one could actually be hidden from God Most High. The reality is, however, that we do play the game. When you are down and loneliness seems to scream in your ears, do you feel separated from his presence? What do you do? Listen to the voice of the enemy or reach for truth found in the word of God? Nothing can separate us from God! And continue that to nothing can separate us from the love of God, let that sink in. God loves you and nothing can get you off his mind, out of his sight or away from his heart! You are not separate from God at any time, in any circumstance or in any place. Get into God's word and make up a few note cards with verses addressing his undeniable constant presence with you. Tape them up in your bathroom or at your desk and read them often! Enjoy knowing he is with you always, even to the end!

Thursday, September 10, 2009

So, my friends like to comment that I haven't written in a while...its true!

My kiddos have been my focus this summer. Now, we are home schooling & that is definitely taking up my time! I mean what about all the things I wanted to get back or just into doing when they were finally school aged? What about me going back to school or just having a lunch with a friend? Well, it turns out that nothing can compare to being in the LORD's will - not even a good cup of Joe enjoyed while still hot! LOL. At least I can nuke my cup a few times, if I remember I was drinking coffee in the first place!

Anyhow, life is good? No, God is good! And life lived in obedience to him is good. I fought this assignment from him to home school for the entire spring. I made plans - in my head - of what this fall would look like for me, my little girl & our dog...this was not it! But this is good! I have 4 days of schooling my boys, learning so much more about them! Learning so much about teaching them all of us growing closer as a family. How could I have seen this outcome?

Well, what a good reminder for me! Being in God's will is more than being saved, helping at church or teaching my kids about him. Its more because it requires me to listen, expecting him to actually speak to me. Its more because it requires me to lay down my own agenda for my life, my children's life and my husband's life... O, did you catch that last one? Yes, I have good ideas and well organized plans that can be easily carried out, or maybe carry me out of God's will.

What is the LORD's will for my life? There are those who lean to the side of the general biblical references of worshiping him, obeying him, loving others and so on. Then, there are the ones who say that you have a specific call on your life, something you were made to do. I say they can both be right. Paul was clearly called to do something specific, as was Moses, Adam, Mary the mother of Jesus and Esther. Then there are those who just did what was right by the LORD's standards, such as ...well all those who were encouraged to continue doing what they were doing and do it unto the LORD...slaves, masters, husbands, wives and children.

When I sit before him and listen there are times he is very specific about what I am to be doing, or not doing. Then, there are times when he is reminding me that I am to be doing what ever I am doing in the light of Jesus. That teacher, baker, or home maker, I am to reflect his son to the world.

So, Dear Reader, I hope you are encouraged to seek both the LORD's specific direction for your life and his across the board directions for all Christian households!

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Have you ever wondered what the word means when it speaks of us being salty? Do you picture grains of salt and wonder how that was meant to be applied to you? I have and for years I though it was just something I'd never fully or even partially be able to really understand or apply. Salty verse seem to be shaken just a bit here or there, never expanded upon very well. That's just like salt - a little here and there but never the main, or side, dish. So I went digging & here is what I found...

You are the salt of the earth. But, if the salt looses

its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?

Matthew 5:13 NIV

Salt is good, but if it looses its saltiness, how can you

make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves and be at

peace with each other. Mark 9:50 NIV

Let your conversations always be full of grace,

seasoned with salt,

so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Colossians 4:6 NIV

Now, without doing any research on culture at that time here is what I got out of all this - salt is not just our words, but grace in our speech. In any relationship you can loose salt by loosing grace in your words - anger, gossip, lies, and so on poison our speech. How can we regain the trust and confidence of others? How can our words be trusted to be genuine and not just another deceitful manipulation?

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,

but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs,

that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29 NIV

If we are to be salty, then we are to guard our words and our thoughts. Unwholesome talk takes our saltiness away and how can it be regained? Time and lots of humility are needed to rebuild a trustworthy tongue my friend. Maybe more time and humility than we can afford in some cases! We need to be trustworthy and live n relationship with one another daily. Be mindful of your thoughts and words that they may be seasoned with grace and not loose the saltiness they are meant to have.

For most of us we have walked through the loss of grace in our speech at some point. There were consequences, and some that we still live with. Do not loose hope, God is a restorer and a helper. He will show you the steps to walking in gracious words and to walking in repentance. Remember he is slow to anger, abounding in love & longs to be gracious to you! Ask him where to go from here and for the strength to resist the temptation to just 'say it like it is', when really there is so much more salt in the Maker's shaker.....